


Tooth Ache Relief, Tastes So Sweet

by RawrSharks



Series: Mingi-Centric Oneshots (the babying Mingi Agenda) [2]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Anesthesia, Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Song Mingi-centric, everyone is mentioned but only these characters are present throughout, maknae line fluff, mingi baby, wisdom teeth removal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:40:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27804715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RawrSharks/pseuds/RawrSharks
Summary: Mingi gets his wisdom teeth removed, and the boys take care of him but also poke a little fun at the baby still high on anesthesia. But maybe they take it a bit too far...--YALL I'M FUCKING PSYCHIC LOOK AT THE DATE WHEN I POSTED THIS AND LIKE THREE DAYS LATER HONGJOONG SAYS THAT MINGI TOLD HIM HE GOT A WISDOM TOOTH REMOVED! FOR MY NEXT PREDICTION MINGI WITH BLACK HAIR PLEASE UNIVERSE DONT DO ME DIRTY NOW !!!!To celebrate I went back to edit and proofread this fic for spelling and grammatical errors and whoops there's another 500 words because I have no self-control. Honestly this one was kind of rough, so hopefully it reads much better now and makes a little more sense. <3
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Song Mingi, Choi San/Song Mingi, Jung Wooyoung/Song Mingi, Song Mingi/Everyone
Series: Mingi-Centric Oneshots (the babying Mingi Agenda) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2099766
Comments: 10
Kudos: 139





	Tooth Ache Relief, Tastes So Sweet

**Author's Note:**

> Sup, may I interest you in some baby Mingi? '3' He's really cute I promise :D
> 
> Also, have yall ever tried to explain to someone who's never been high what it's like to be high? It's harder than you think

Mingi didn’t get carsick, but he has been very nervous for many, many car rides. His thoughts always raced faster than the car he rode in, and he wouldn’t be able to sit still at all. He’d fidget with his clothes or bounce his leg so hard on the car floor that someone would eventually snap at him to stop. But how was he supposed to remain calm when their destination was so scary and it was getting closer and closer and closer.

He always got nervous; he knew that he didn’t seem like the type with how loud and brazen he could be, but he really was always nervous. When he switched schools as a young child, he almost cried as his Mom drove him that first day because he had been afraid that the other kids wouldn’t want to be his friend. And when Ateez had been on their way to their first music show performance for their debut, for the entire ride Mingi had only thought about jumping out the car to save himself the embarrassment if he messed up.

And even now, he wasn’t carsick, but his stomach flipped over and over itself with every turn as if it had been knocked loose and was rolling around inside him. He gripped the car door tightly just in case if he needed to throw up. Hongjoong rubbed his shoulders from where he sat in the backseat.

“It’s going to be alright, okay? Everyone has to get their wisdom teeth removed at some point. It’s a routine operation, Mingi-yah.”

“I don’t! Mine are growing in fine.”

“Not helping, Wooyoung.”

Mingi leaned back into the comforting touch while Hongjoong’s small hands rubbed the tension out of him bit by bit. He appreciated his leader’s attempts to cheer him up, but he didn’t say anything for fear of puking right into his lap. He was almost glad that there was nothing in his stomach from the required pre-operation fasting. Another part of him, a childish, reckless part of him, wanted to snatch Jongho's Iced Americano and chug the whole thing. Then they would have to postpone the surgery... but then he'd have to wake up with this pain in his mouth for at least another month as they rescheduled. And Hongjoong would be so pissed at him. And the company. And his mom. Mingi huffed and crossed his arms, resigning himself to his terrible fate.

“It’s not serious enough to be done in a real hospital so you’ll be fine I promise.” Hongjoong continued on, and Mingi couldn't determine if he was consoling him or if he was about to lecture him for being such a worry wart.

“But what if it goes so bad that they send me to the hospital?”

“Then you’ll be at the hospital where they’re even better equipped to help you. You will be fine.”

They parked in a spot on the far side of the parking lot, and Mingi’s knees knocked together with every step he took to the front entrance. They were early for his appointment; he was really getting his wisdom teeth removed. He swallowed thickly. His mouth felt too dry.

Hongjoong was there to comfort him and to take care of him with the post-operation side effects. One of their managers, Chulwoo, had to come to drive the car since none of them had their license yet. Wooyoung, San, and Jongho were just there to be little shits and laugh at Mingi once he was high out of his mind on the dentist’s anesthesia. When he spotted them putting on their shoes to come with that morning, Mingi had grumbled and whined and begged Hongjoong to ban them from coming, but his complaints were filed then dismissed.

However, as he sat in the waiting room and anxiously watched the dental assistants stride in and out of the door to the operation rooms, he was grateful to be able to clutch onto San’s hand and rest his head on Jongho’s shoulder. He had to slouch over so far down to reach it, but if only he could slump over even further so he could slip off his chair, sink into the floor, and disappear from this appointment.

There was a loud crash behind the door, and Mingi shot a full two inches out of his chair. Someone must have dropped a metal tray or something, but his eyes still darted around the room searching for escape. San’s steady fingers threaded his long, grown-out hair and stroked down his neck.

“You have to calm down, Mingi-yah. You’re working yourself into a panic.” He said quietly. He may be here to enjoy the show, but now Mingi was starting to worry him. There really was no reason to be so scared of a simple operation, but Mingi seemed close to hyperventilating if someone so much as moved wrong near them. Mingi gripped his hand tighter and turned to stare each of them in the eyes including Chulwoo.

“Promise me you guys won’t record me or anything. I don’t want to have to worry about saying something really stupid too. I know that’s why you guys came, but please?”

“Okay, okay.” Wooyoung got up from his chair to plant a fat, wet kiss on Mingi’s forehead. “We promise. Now say it with me, _‘I’m going to be just fine and I’m being a big baby.’_ ”

“I’m going to be fine.”

“Aaaaaand, ‘ _I’m a big baby.’_ ”

“Wooyoung, please—”

“Song Mingi? The dental surgeon is ready for you.”

Mingi chewed on his bottom lip as he hesitantly stood up. He casted one last, pitiful glance to Hongjoong who shooed him to go follow the assistant.

“We’ll be right here waiting for you.”

“You can do this Mingi-yah!”

“It’ll be painless! Maybe even fun!”

When the door clicked shut behind them, Jongho leaned over to raise his eyebrows at Wooyoung.

“We’re still gonna record him, right?”

“Duh.” Wooyoung rolled his eyes. “He’s not getting out of this one. I don’t care how shiny his puppy dog eyes get. Yeosang still brings up that video of me trying to catch the laser pointer when I was high on too much cough syrup. It's time to pass on the torch.”

He grinned maniacally at his phone as he updated their group chat that they were T-minus 45 minutes from playtime with doped up Princess Minki. Yeosang and Yunho responded with several cryptic, mischievous emojis of the 'chaotic evil' alignment while Seonghwa just reminded them to take pictures for him to put in his scrapbooks.

///

Mingi shivered from the harsh cold of the operating room. He shifted around in the reclined, operating chair, unable to keep settled against its stiff leather. The room gleamed with its pristine cleanliness, not a single speck spotted any of the metal counters or pointy, twisted tools set on the table beside him. He could hear some machine droning in a constant whine. Something else produced a pronounced pumping sound. Even the lights hummed with their high-powered voltage. It was unnatural. It was unfriendly. It unnerved him.

He jolted a bit when the assistant came back holding a heavy pair of headphones. Her warm smile sparkled prettily and while it was a comforting sight, but it wasn’t enough to dispel the freezing terror that had seeped through to his bones.

“Dr. Kim will be ready in a moment. These headphones will dull the sound of the drill and protect your ears. There’s also protective glasses for you to wear. I’m going to start you on the anesthesia now, and it’ll be over before you know it. How are you feeling today? Are you ready?”

Mingi took a deep breath and steeled himself. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

“Excellent! This mask fits over your mouth and nose. Please breath deep for me and count backwards from 30.”

“O-okay… 30, 29, 28, 27, 26… 25… 23… t-twent… twenty-twen…”

He was out.

Well, he wasn’t completely out of it. He felt the presence of more people even when his blurry vision stopped distinguishing distinct shapes. He could hear the drill start up then sound as if its noise was coming from inside his skull. He couldn’t tell if it was loud or quiet. Somehow, it was both. Was he drooling? He couldn’t feel anything. Then someone placed something over his nose, and there was nothing at all. Darkness wrapped him up like the thickest wool blanket and feeling so very heavy, Mingi sunk into it.

Down,

down,

and

down.

///

50 minutes later, two assistants wheeled Mingi into the recovery waiting area and laid him in a cushy, reclined chair to rest until he woke up from his anesthetic-induced slumber. His friends and manager were already there waiting for him, and the assistant informed them that the operation was a complete success. One of his wisdom teeth did crack unexpectedly, and it took a while for Dr. Kim to locate and retrieve all of the pieces, but otherwise the surgery concluded without lasting complications.

“We had to give him several doses of the anesthesia, because he kept waking up. So, it may take a little longer for him to wake up now. The drugs affect everyone differently, and he can experience its effects for a couple of hours. It would be surprising if he’s still under its influence by dinnertime, but if he doesn’t appear back to some semblance of normal before he sleeps for the night then closely monitor him and give this helpline a call. We’ll be back when he wakes up to explain the next immediate steps of recovery.”

Each of them listened carefully with their manager even writing everything down in his phone though they will surely be sent home with several packets of reading with instructions and advice about the recovery process. Hongjoong, San, Wooyoung, and Jongho waited respectfully until the assistants left before they all started cooing around their sleeping friend.

Mingi’s face and jaw were swollen, and two rolls of thick cotton placed within his mouth kept it slightly hanging open. A little line of bloody drool escaped from the corner of his lips, but Hongjoong didn’t hesitate to rub it away before Wooyoung brought out his phone to start recording.

“Woah, he’s like out cold.” San whispered in wonder while he brushed back Mingi’s silky hair.

“How much do you think they gave him?” Jongho asked with excitement dripping off his every word.

“Hopefully a lot. He’s going to be so funny.” Wooyoung giggled, zooming in on his friend's puffy face.

“ _Hopefully,_ not too much. That stuff can make you sick, you know.” Hongjoong sniffed while he eyed his younger members in a silent warning to control themselves.

“C’mon, hyung, loosen up!”

“Hngnffl…… ughhhn.” Mingi groaned from below as they ceased their arguing. His eyes struggled to open, but upon seeing the bright, fluorescent lights, they immediately closed again, and he let out a weak whine.

“Cute.” Jongho murmured.

“Look! Good morning, Mingi-yah! Time to wake up.”

Mingi just whined again, head lolling forward, but the next time he opened his eyes, they stayed open. He blinked up at them, clearly confused. His stare travelled lazily around the room he did not remember entering himself. He stopped with his gaze stuck on tiny Hongjoong as if trying to comprehend him and his vibrant hair.

“Hhh… hyung?” His voice was small and rough as if speaking from a cage locked away in his throat. Hongjoong smiled softly at him, taking one of his giant hands in his much smaller ones and interlaced their fingers.

“Hey, baby. You feeling okay?”

“… Is done?”

“Yep! All done, and they said you did great. Can you tell me how you’re feeling right now?”

A slow, slow blink.

“Nothing.” Mingi whispered.

“Huh?”

“Nothing.” He raised one of his arms and let it flop dramatically onto his leg with a loud smack. “Feel nothing hyung… maybe good?”

The rest of the maknae line burst out in hardly contained, hushed laughter. Wooyoung’s phone shook in his hand while he tried so hard to keep quiet.

“Mingi-yah, Mingi-yah, where are you right now?”

Mingi did another sweep across the unfamiliar room, his lips drawing into a tiny pout that was even cuter than usual with the cotton rolls bulging out his cheeks.

“Dentist?” He chirped his eyes widening as his confusion grew.

“No, you’re at Disneyland.”

“Woo, no. Minnie, baby, you’re still at the dentist. We haven’t left yet since the nurses still have to talk to us about how to take care of you.”

“But you said ‘m fine.” Mingi huffed a big breath and tried to sit up properly in the cushy chair. It was so big and soft it practically swallowed him whole and tried to pull him deeper into its plush comfort the more he struggled. But once he was free, his body swayed from one side to the other in a slow rhythm. It wasn’t the dizzying circles a drunk had to fight off before an oncoming blackout, but the small undulations of a dancing snake. He was swaying to his own charming tune, one that only he could hear as a big grin grew over his face.

“The earth is spinning…” He mumbled, probably only to speak to himself if he was aware that he was talking out loud at all.

“What? Are you dizzy, Minnie?” Hongjoong squeezed his hand to get his attention again. It concerned him how much Mingi seemed to keep slipping away, his focus never lingering on one thing for too long. It was strange to watch someone he knew almost better than he knew himself act so off-kilter. It wasn't as if Mingi was like a different person, just the opposite. Watching him now, Hongjoong thought the anesthesia nrought out a 110% concentrated version of Mingi with all of his playfulness and tendency to space out dialed up to the max while his usual shyness was nowhere to be seen.

“No… we’re just spinning hyung. We’re all spinning.” Mingi reached out to grab onto Jongho’s jacket sleeve. He gave it a tiny tug and grinned up at his friend. “Right, hyung? Are you spinning?”

Jongho blushed at the misuse of honorific towards him even as a smile crept across his face at how cute Mingi was acting. More laughter broke out louder this time.

“Oh my god, he’s so out of it!”

Still swaying, Mingi finally focused on his other friends and recognized Wooyoung’s phone being held steady in his hands. But with the big, black eye of its camera pointed right at him. He let go of Jongho’s jacket to run his fingers along the unusual curve of his jaw, and they came away wet with something salty. Was he the one crying? Who's breathing was all stuttery like that? Why couldn't he think straight? Why did everything feel so fuzzy? He burst into tears.

The smile dropped from Wooyoung’s face. _Oh, shit._ He didn’t want Mingi to actually cry.

“Y-you broke your promise. You li-lied to me.” The man blubbered, tears running fast down his face. He remembered their conversation from before the surgery; they promised him that he would be fine and that they wouldn’t film him afterwards. Well, there was a camera recording him, and he was not fine. “W-why would you lie to me? Why would you break your pr-promise; did I do something wrong? You don’t like me Wooyoungie?”

Mingi’s body shook with loud, ugly sobs as they all stood around him frozen with shock at the sudden display of hysteric emotion. Even Chulwoo remained rooted to the spot, completely speechless. Mingi never liked to cry in front of people. It didn’t matter what he was crying for, he always held it in and waited until he was alone to let his tears fall. And if he couldn’t hold them back, he would at least turn away to hide them from those around. He didn’t want people to see that ugly, vulnerable side of him, even the other members, his most precious people.

But now he cried harshly and openly without any sign of slowing down even when the assistants returned to check on them. The maknae line scrambled to make him feel better, but they were unsure of how to do it.

“No, no, no, no. Mingi don’t cry. It’s okay.”

“Of course, we like you, hyung. We _love_ you; we just thought it would be funny since the dentist makes people so silly. You know those viral 'wisdom teeth removed' videos? We love you hyung promise.”

“Look, Mingi-yah, look. I’m not recording anymore. Here, you can have it. Please don’t cry, you know I love you so much.” Wooyoung dumped his phone into Mingi’s lap as he leaned over to press a dozen kisses into the crying man’s temple and wipe away his tears. The assistant’s looked on the chaos with a matching set of amused smiles. Some of the more common side effects of the anesthesia high were hyperfixation, impaired judgment, and heightened emotional responses; this was nothing they haven’t seen before.

Hongjoong just sighed and closed his eyes; if he pretended that he didn’t see it then it wasn’t happening. He did however rub at Mingi’s back to help calm him down as his crying petered out. In the end, each of them including their manager had to hand over their phone to Mingi so he could be absolutely sure that they weren’t recording him anymore, but once he started eyeing the assistants and their phones tucked into their work scrubs, Hongjoong had to reign him in.

He sat, still sniffling slightly but quiet, and listened along to the assistants’ lecture about the steps of recovery and everything he needed to do to take care of himself. But as they continued on and on, Mingi started to slouch in his chair and curl into his hyung’s side who was seated next to him. When his eyes drifted close, he got a stern flick to the ear.

“Mingi-yah, don’t be rude. You need to pay attention.” Hongjoong frowned down at him.

“But… ‘m tired.” He mumbled barely above a whisper. One of the assistants laughed and gently pinched his swollen cheek.

“Cute,” She said. “We’re just about done. What’s most important is that you can safely eat after another hour and remember to only eat soft foods for the next 24 hours. Nothing too hot; most people treat themselves with a big bowl of ice cream after a surgery like this. Do you like ice cream?”

Mingi perked up at that, almost jumping out of his seat and looking the most awake he’s been since they wheeled him out of the operation room.

“Ice skem?” His tongue was still thick and slow in his mouth, but the room just shared a chuckle before it was time to go home.

Once Mingi was safely tucked between San and Wooyoung with Jongho alone in the far backseat and Hongjoong up front with Chulwoo, they started the ride home with Mingi giggling to himself. His head rested against San’s shoulder and in his giant hand he held all five of the confiscated phones like a royal flush of cards.

“What’s so funny back there?” Hongjoong called, a smile on his face at seeing Mingi back to his happy self.

“I’m rich.” Mingi said, laughing harder at a joke only he seemed to understand. Wooyoung smirked at him. Just because he couldn’t record anymore didn’t mean he can’t still have fun with dopey Mingi. He pointed with exaggerated, dramatic flair at the window where the city of Seoul zipped by as they merged onto a highway.

“Minnie, look at how fast we’re going! I think we’ll be able to take off for flight soon.” They should hire him out to act in dramas, clearly, he was a born acting prodigy.

Mingi lifted his head to look out the window, his eyes darting back and forth to track the large, looming buildings that flicked by in a flash. His head even bounced along like he was watching a riveting tennis match until he started to go a little cross-eyed from trying to watch everything at once. He tugged nervously at his seatbelt crossed over his chest as they accelerated even faster to pass another car.

“Okay, get ready, we’re about to take off!” Wooyoung jostled his shoulder, and predicably like the big scaredy-cat he was, Mingi burrowed deep into San’s side, tucking his face into the juncture of his friend’s neck.

“No! Too fast!” He shouted.

“We’re flying, Mingi!”

“Too fast! Too fast!”

“Huh? You want to go faster?”

“No!”

“He says to go faster, hyung.”

“NO!”

“Wooyoung!”

Mingi kept yelling for the car to slow down or ‘ _We’re gonna die!’_ while Hongjoong and the manager could only rub at their temples to stave off the oncoming headache. Jongho was laughing so hard in the backseat that he had fallen over and was shrieking that he couldn’t breathe which sent Mingi spiraling further into his nervous panicking tailspin. San tried to calm him down with some firm hugs and comforting pats to his head, but no dice. He wouldn’t even let San detangle them an inch for fear of being sucked out of the speeding window.

“Minnie?”

“No!”

“Come on, look up.”

“Too fast! Slow down!”

“Mingi! We’re not even moving anymore.”

Mingi head finally popped up and he looked around sheepishly. They were safely parked in the garage under their apartment building. Everyone stood out of the car staring at him except for San who he still clung onto for dear life.

“Oh.” He said with eloquence as he tentatively let go of San and crawled out of the car. His legs felt like rubber as he stood up, nerves fried, and he pouted at Wooyoung. “Not funny.”

Jongho slapped him heartily on the back, nearly knocking him over. “Correction; hilarious. You’re such a scared baby over the smallest things.”

Mingi fixed him with a long look then glanced to the elevator to go up to their dorm. Back to Jongho, back to the elevator. Back to Jongho and his strong muscles. Back to the elevator. Jongho snorted at him in disbelief.

“I am absolutely not carrying you. You can walk just fine.”

“But you guys were being mean to me.” Mingi complained loudly.

“No.”

“Hmph, fine.” Mingi crossed his arms and stomped ahead to press for the elevator.

Everything still felt so muffled as if it wasn't really happening to him until it was already over, and he had made a fool of himself. He was acting ridiculous, but he couldn't stop; everything he did felt perfectly logical until suddenly it wasn't, and he couldn't understand how he got there. He couldn't even understand himself, control himself, and it frustrated him. His senses were muted, but his thoughts seemed so intense. He had cried for some reason. It had seemed important, but it was still so embarrassing that they saw him like that. And they had laughed at him!

Everyone was being a jerk; he was the one who just went through surgery. They were supposed to be catering to his every whim, not teasing him! But it seemed like he was overdue for more teasing from his members, because as soon as Chulwoo dropped them off in the front parlor of their apartment, they all descended upon him like a pack of overexcited puppies.

Yunho asked a barrage of simple multiplication table questions before he even greeted them properly. (“Mingi-yah, Mingi-yah, what’s 9 x 6?”) Yeosang was talking over him to pry all of the embarrassing details out of Wooyoung. (“Oh my god, he actually called Jongho ‘hyung’? Ha!”) And Seonghwa had already taken several pictures of his swollen face. (“You’re so cute, Minmin, like _so cute_. Hongjoong, why didn’t you send me anything when he first came out? Mingi, look at me baby.”) He was _not_ going to cry a second time in front of everyone.

No one offered to help him as he fumbled with his shoes. His hands were clumsy, and his body wouldn’t respond to him in the way it usually would. Wooyoung and Jongho just continued to giggle at him even when he almost tripped over himself and Seonghwa just cooed at how cute and clumsy he was. It all became a little overwhelming; he felt like he was going to cry again. But he remembered Wooyoung and Jongho complaining that he was being a baby, and he was _not_ a baby.

Mingi sniffed back his overeager tears and tried to put up a strong front. At least, San helped him take off his jacket when his arms threatened to get stuck in the sleeves. But once Yeosang announced that he wanted to poke Mingi’s puffy cheeks, everyone just had to poke them as well and he huffed a loud noise of frustration.

“Enough!” He batted their hands away and tried to push through the crowd of them. “Just- just leave me alone!”

Hongjoong caught him before he could really get anywhere, and his hyung fixed him with a genuine, concerned look. “Are you feeling okay? What’s wrong?” He asked as his eyes scanned over every inch of him, searching for the problem so that he could set to fixing it.

Just like that all of the fight flew out of Mingi. He didn’t mean to burst out at them, and he couldn’t bring himself to admit that _they_ were his problem. Especially not when every single one of them turned big, shiny, apprehensive eyes on him. They were just trying to have fun, and he was probably being oversensitive again. His shoulder slumped; his head hung low as he stared at the floor.

“Nothing, hyung. My head just kind of hurts.” He rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his hand. _He was not going to cry again. He was not a baby_. He repeated those words like a mantra like it would be his saving grace. His head was starting to throb with a muted, dull kind of pain. It was strange; he was doped up on all kinds of pain medication with the anesthesia still fuzzing up his mind and strong, doctor-grade pain killers to cover the pain of having multiple holes drilled into his mouth. But something was hurting. He could feel the pain bubbling up inside of him even if he couldn't find the source.

It was hard for him to focus on anything. His thoughts slipped through his fingers before he could really grasp them, and the light prickled at his eyes. He couldn’t tell if he was swaying again or if his vision really was slipping back and forth. Suddenly, he felt so incredibly exhausted.

“I just want to sleep please.” He said in a trembling whisper. He didn’t want to speak any louder for fear of his voice cracking into a pathetic cry. Someone hugged him by the waist softly, but he wouldn’t look up.

“Oh… we’re sorry, Mingi. We won’t bother you anymore.” And that just hurt more for some reason. Seonghwa’s thumb brushed over his cheek. Maybe he was crying a little anyway despite how hard he tried not to.

“It’s fine.” He didn’t want to talk anymore. Everyone backed off, and he started to shuffle to his room, but he was caught one more time.

San.

“Let’s go to the living room, Minmin. We can cuddle and nap together. San hugged him from behind and kissed the top notch of his spine. It was the furthest he could reach on his tiptoes. Mingi heaved a heavy sigh but followed along when San rocked them from one foot to the other. He eyed the doorway to the living room.

“But… you guys are going to be loud.”

“Nope.” San said, popping the p. “I’ll kick out anyone who’s too loud. We’ll put on Ponyo.”

“Ponyo?” Mingi perked up a bit. It had been a while since he last watched any of the Studio Ghibli movies. He always saved them for when he got sick and needed something extra comforting to make him feel better.

“Yep. You’re favorite, just for you baby.”

Mingi froze in San’s arms, his body stiff and shaking.

“Not a baby.” He sniffled. San took a moment to think about his sudden change in demeanor then it seemed a light bulb went off in his head.

“Ah. Okay. Well, how about we watch it and snuggle anyway?”

Mingi chewed on his wobbling bottom lip but gave in at the end and took San’s hand to let him lead them over to the couch. They set up the movie, gathering pillows and blankets and pulling the curtains closed to block out the sun. They turned off all light except for one dim lamp in the corner because the harsh, bright colors of the T.V hurt Mingi’s eyes too much. San insisted that he laid down on the couch first then had Mingi lay on top of him chest to chest with his head tucked under San’s chin. Mingi’s long legs barely fit like that on their extra-large couch, but they made it work.

Yunho brought Mingi a glass of water and his favorite, soft blanket from his room, but then left to go play some video games. Seonghwa left to read a book in his room, but he planted a small kiss to Mingi’s sharp nose before he went. Mingi could hear Hongjoong and Wooyoung discussing something swiftly in the kitchen, but he couldn’t bring himself to listen in any further. They were probably just bickering over dinner, and sleep was so tantalizingly close.

Yeosang stayed to watch with them. He sat curled up in one of the armchairs with his head resting on a pillow clutched in his arms. Jongho joined them too, but he managed to wriggle under both San’s and Mingi’s legs. He slipped his broad hand under Mingi’s shirt to rub at the small of his back. Mingi sighed sweetly and melted under the touch. All the medication had silenced the usual prickles of uncomfortable pain from his back for a good while, but the warm weight of the maknae’s hand still felt heavenly and grounding in a way his fuzzy mind craved.

He snuggled further into San’s chest; he made himself nice and comfortable and warm, and they watched the movie together in a perfect bubble of quiet. Halfway through when little Ponyo and Sasuke shared a mouth-watering meal of homemade ramen together, Mingi was drifting off in a lazy sort of half-nap. He felt good, much better now with his mind having quieted a bit and his exhaustion not allowing him to feel much else. Yeosang had fallen completely asleep in his chair. There was no more talking from the kitchen. Jongho’s thumb stroked slowly along his spine.

San spoke gently then, feeling Mingi rouse from his light slumber. “Mingi-yah, you know that it's okay to be a bit of a baby sometimes, right?”

“Mm.” He only hummed noncommittedly.

“Hey, I’m serious right now.” San’s arms squeezed him once around his waist. Mingi lifted his head to frown at his friend.

“But I’m too much of a baby… all the time. You guys were just trying to have fun…”

Jongho’s palm pressed flat on his back. “It’s not fun if you’re not having fun with us. We got too carried away and... I'm really sorry hyung. I didn't realize how upset you were.”

Mingi shook his head. He tried to get up, but San wouldn’t let him slip away. He only held him tighter against his chest. “It’s okay, I’m too sensitive sometimes I know—”

“You’re not too sensitive. Your feelings are your feelings.” San said firmly.

“It wasn’t cool to toy with you when you’re recovering from surgery and feel so shitty.” Jongho confirmed. It was hard to argue with the both of them when they were right. Mingi settled back down and let San play with the long strands of his hair. He whimpered quietly to himself still.

“I just wish I wasn’t like this.”

“I don’t.”

“Me neither.”

“Guys…”

“Minnie, you’re a baby, but you’re my big baby. You work hard and you do so many amazing things every single day. You’re strong. We wouldn't care if you spent the whole day crying. We would just want to know what is making you feel sad so we can help you feel better. One moment of vulnerability or a dozen or a hundred doesn’t define your whole character. It just makes you a real person that we care about and want to take of.” San lifted Mingi face by his chin so he could tell him how much he loved him while looking into his eyes. A small smile tugged at the corners of Mingi’s mouth.

He could never hide himself from his members, and he didn’t want to. They knew him best, even better than himself. If he had hid away alone in his room, he’d still be feeling terrible right now. Being together with his members always made him feel better.

“And you had a drill working at your teeth and jaws for the better part of an hour. And you’re high on doctor drugs, I think you've earned being a bit extra of a baby today.” Jongho pointed out, and the three of them quietly laughed together as they cuddled closer. Mingi watched the rest of the movie much more at peace.

He fell asleep again, but when awoke the credits were rolling up the T.V screen and his mind was no longer fuzzy from the high of the drugs. He was exhausted through and through despite having just slept. He didn’t want to move another inch for the rest of the day, and it was barely creeping into the afternoon. And Wooyoung sat in front of him with his butt planted on the coffee table where it was definitely not supposed to be. In his hands, he held a tall plastic cup with a colorful straw stuck out the top.

“For you.” He said, holding the cup out to him.

“What?” Mingi rubbed at his tired eyes confused. Then he remembered what the dentist assistant suggested he could eat after his operation.

“Mint Choco?” He asked excitedly. Wooyoung grinned at his unhindered, happy outburst.

“No, not Mint Choco. Sorry, baby, but they said you can’t have anything with small pieces in it. They might get stuck in the holes where your teeth were. But it’s chocolate!”

Mingi only whined a little bit about not being able to have his favorite flavor ever, but he still gratefully accepted the sweet gift. Upon taking a sip, he squealed at the sugary, delicious taste and wriggled around in San’s arms out of pure joy. He still wasn’t really that hungry even with all of the fasting he had to do before the surgery, but he could never turn down ice cream.

Wooyoung ruffled his hair and sighed, looking a little sad. “I’m sorry for being such a dick. I should have paid more attention and noticed that you really weren’t feeling well. Can you forgive me princess?”

Mingi pretended to think about it while he took several long sips of chocolate goodness. He just wanted to make Wooyoung sweat a little bit to get back at him for all of the teasing today, but when he popped the straw from his mouth, a big grin split across his face.

“Of course, Wooyoungie. Love you!” He offered him a sip of his milkshake and tugged him into the cuddle pile. A startled grunt came from San below.

“I need to breathe down here!” He was ignored as Wooyoung shifted closer to peck sugary kisses all over his and Mingi’s faces.

“Can I have some of your milkshake, hyung?”

Mingi stuck his tongue out at Jongho. “No, because you wouldn’t carry me.”

“What?! You can still walk you giant baby!”

Mingi laughed loudly and truly for the first time that day as he handed over his drink to the sulking maknae. Then he screeched when Jongho dug his ice-cold fingers from the frozen drink into his back, and San clung to him and wouldn’t let him squirm away. They devolved into a massive, four-way tickle fight that got rowdy and almost ended with milkshake on the floor until Hongjoong yelled at them to keep it down.

Still giggling together, thick as thieves, they readjusted to all squeeze onto the couch in a big cuddle pile and pulled up the movie Your Name to watch next. Mingi fell asleep for a third time, but he was surrounded by his sweetest friends who loved him more than anything. Wrapped in their arms and legs and showered in more kisses than he could count, he slept feeling much happier than when he had woken up that terrible morning.

**Author's Note:**

> You know what I think about a lot? There's a rare clip from one of the early logs of Ateez before their debut stage where Wooyoung hugs Mingi to help with his pre-preformance nerves. It's really cute, what I'm trying to say woogi is really really cute guys and if I ever figure out the specific log I'll update this note
> 
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